Snails In Tank

[jim_uk_2006]

hiya i have a 350ltr planted tank and i have litrally 100's of snails. what i want to know is are they a problem? do i need to remove them? will they eat my plants?
my plants seem to be doing very well and all seems ok, so i was just wondering if there is anything to worry about or should i just leave them in the tank?
thanks jim

 

[StandbySetting]

They shouldn't cause any harm, just leave them be, they'll eat any algae, and feeding carefully to ensure that there is no uneaten food at the bottom of the tank will help control their numbers, as well removing any decaying matter you see.

 

[fluttermoth]

They're not a problem normaly; they are a few kinds that eat plants but most pest snails eat only dead and decaying plant matter and fish food. Many kinds live mostly in the substrate, so if you have sand rather than gravel, they can do a very useful job of turning the sand over and keeping it fresh.

If you have hundreds, it could well be sign that you're overfeeding your fish (as there must be lots of spare food around for the snails to be multiplying that much) so you might want to look at that.

Some people get rid of them (well, they try to anyway; it's not terribly easy to get rid of them all) buy putting cucumber or lettuce (I've heard carrot works particularly well) in overnight and hooking it, with all its attendant snails, out in the morning, but that's because they don't like the look of them, rather than because they're doing any harm

 

[jim_uk_2006]

ok thanks for the quick reply.
i only feed my fish once a day so i dont think i'm over feeding, but if they are not a problem i will leave them be

 

[welshfish1]

If you think their a problem you might want to consider assasinsnails ive heard they are really good